KEYNSHAM athlete Holly Sanigar is celebrating after striking gold at the English Schools Track & Field Championships.
A beaten finalist in the inter girls 800 metres last year, the 17-year-old stepped up a gear this time to rule the podium in her first year as a senior.
As well as winning gold – her first national medal – she achieved a personal best of 2 minutes 9.43 seconds.
Holly said: “I was confident before the race started. I wanted to try to get one of the medals, but I don’t know if I expected to win it.”
However, her hopes of snatching the gold started to rise when she entered the last 200 metres while tucked in behind the two front runners.
“I was feeling good and thought ‘yes, I can win this’,” she said.
Going into the final bend for the last 100 metres, Holly choose her moment to overtake the leaders and was elated to be first across the finish line.
“I didn’t go into the race as favourite. I was just shocked as I had won it.”
There was also success for two other local athletes at the championships at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.
Ewan Sparey (Saltford) won silver in the inter boys 800m in a time of 1:52.10, while Owen Garett (Keynsham) took silver in the senior boys discus 1.75kg.
As well as being on the same Avon team, former Wellsway pupil Holly went to school with Ewan and Owen.
She is now in the sixth form at St Brendan’s in Brislington.
For her regular training, Holly runs three times a week, goes swimming and cycling, and also does weights at the gym.
And sport runs in the family, as Holly’s mum Liz runs half marathons and 10ks, while younger sister Flo, aged 11, has started track racing. Dad Jamie has had a lifelong involvement in professional boxing, and Holly’s grandad is the former boxer Chris Sanigar.
